Websites are a lot like cars. You can keep them going for many years, especially if you invest in regular upkeep. But at some point, you’ll be faced with a choice: pay for a big repair or pay for something new?
Many times clients come to OSD with a similar dilemma. Their website is 5 or 6 years old. It includes all the things people expected when it was built (contact information, product features, etc.). It still gets people from Point A to Point B. But it’s just not revving up business anymore.
The basic question: “Can I just add features to my current site, or should I completely redesign the site from the ground up?” The answer is almost always simple: redesign. While it may seem daunting, there are multiple reasons for going down the redesign path.
Antiquated technology
Internet users and browsers and devices evolve so fluidly that technology gets outdated quickly. Often, a tech issue is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. You can tolerate an unreliable or ineffective site. But when your software provider or hosting service says they’ll no longer support you, you don’t have much of a choice.
Lack of mobile/tablet compatibility
This issue is often related to the problem above. If you built your site more than a few years ago, chances are it doesn’t look right or work right on mobile devices or tablets. For example, say you placed valuable information in “hover over” pop-ups. How does one hover on a mobile phone browser? They don’t. Or say you built special mobile pages as a work-around. That can create a maintenance nightmare.
When you build a new site with modern design and coding practices, supported by a content management system that evolves with the times (such as WordPress), you can move to a “responsive design” platform that is easier to update and works across browsers and devices.
Outdated design trends
When you originally built your site, you probably focused on making the site look good to grab the attention of your potential clients or customers. You may have used animation or Flash to really increase your wow factor. Maybe you even did a “splash page” that greeted users before they entered the site.
While all of these approaches were successful at the time, the industry has shifted a bit. Websites now are less about “showing off” with animation or graphics and more about delivering content simply and effectively.
Lack of searchable, action-oriented content
Content is king on modern websites. It also plays a key role in your search engine results. How you get your customers to find and consume content has become extremely important.
That being said, that doesn’t mean a new site should have pages and pages of text on screen. The key is to organize and develop content that is simple and action-oriented. Modern homepage design generally has very little content on it. But all of the content that is displayed is directed at specific audiences and leads them down respective paths of your new site. These paths are designed to address their specific needs, making you become an advocate.
Confusing site entry points
As noted in a previous blog about the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, it’s crucial to make sure users know where to go when they arrive at your site. It’s all about getting them the information they need as quickly as possible without sacrificing the experience for other users. Many older designs don’t do this – either because they are organized around internal divisions rather than the way site users think, or because they have too many calls to action.
For example, let’s say your company provides services that both architects and engineers would find useful. The homepage design needs to have visual cues that lead each audience to a customized landing page that gives each audience the information most important to them. You may be able to accomplish this with a home page redesign and some new pages – if your current site allows you to make the modifications you want to make. But many times, in the time it takes to make these adjustments, you might be better off redesigning your site from the ground up.
- Brad
